The Steelers didn’t take the AFC North by leaning solely on stars. Their division run was built on the guys who filled gaps, steadied things when it mattered, and delivered in moments that didn’t always make highlight reels. From depth pieces stepping into real roles to specialists doing the dirty work, these overlooked contributors helped push Pittsburgh to their first AFC North division championship since 2020.
If you spent the season betting against these players, you probably felt it. Performances like theirs are the reason smart fans keep an eye on the details, especially when it comes to NFL betting, where the smallest edges can swing a Sunday. This group didn’t just outperform expectations — they quietly shifted outcomes.
Kenneth Gainwell
A common theme among the players listed in this article are those who weren’t thought of much when the early portions of the season were underway in Latrobe, Pennsylvania for training camp, the preseason, or even during the first weeks of the regular season.
Gainwell certainly fits the bill, as he was on my own preseason roster prediction bubble. “Kenny G” as he’s become known by head coach Mike Tomlin, spent four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. During those four seasons in Philly, Gainwell was stuck in a timeshare. Among the running backs he had to compete with for playing time were Miles Sanders (an Eagles 2019 second round pick), Jordan Howard, Boston Scott, Trey Sermon, and D’Andre Swift (acquired by the Eagles in a trade with the Detroit Lions).
In 2024, the Eagles signed free agent Saquon Barkley, who would go on to lead the NFL in rushing and be named the Offensive Player of the Year. Aside from Saquon, rushing attempts were slim with QB Jalen Hurts carrying the ball an average of 152 times per season.
With the lack of opportunities, Gainwell didn’t attract much buzz during free agency, and the Steelers adding Iowa rookie Kaleb Johnson in the NFL Draft meant more competition for the veteran. However, Gainwell not only persevered to gain a prominent role in the Steelers offense, he would be voted by his peers as this year’s team MVP.
Three of Gainwell’s top rushing and receiving performances have all come with Pittsburgh this season, as he took on a larger role with Jaylen Warren’s absence in Dublin, Ireland against the Minnesota Vikings and also started against the Chicago Bears. He finishes the 2025 regular season with 1023 yards from scrimmage and eight total touchdowns. His 486 receiving yards were second-best on the team, while leading all Steelers with 73 receptions.
Dylan Cook
As the Steelers poured over different ways to upgrade their offensive line, little did they know an undrafted offensive tackle out of the University of Montana would help stabilize it in their most dire moment of need.
Cook, who originally joined the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in 2022, signed with the Steelers back in May of 2023. He would be one of the “bottom” members of the 53-man roster, a player who was on the active roll but was typically inactive on game days.
After not playing in 2023, Cook would bounce back and forth from the Steelers roster and practice squad in 2024, before signing a reserves/future contract in 2025. He would remain on the practice squad until being called up in December, following an injury to starting left tackle Broderick Jones, which bumped veteran Andrus Peat into a starting role. An injury to Peat would place Cook into action and he has since to relinquish his role after playing superbly since becoming the starter in Week 15 against the Miami Dolphins.
To date, Cook has only one penalty, a false start, to his credit in four starts. Pro Football Focus credits him as only allowing one sack in 291 offensive plays. The amount of plays is dead last among active offensive tackles, however, Cook is currently ranked first in total pressure allowed. Wow.
James Pierre
If Cook’s career path to becoming a starter sounds like a rollercoaster, Pierre’s is a major thrill ride.
Also undrafted, from Florida Atlantic, Pierre latched onto the Steelers during the 2020 season as a surprise “camp phenom” who was signed to the 53-man roster. Pierre would make his first start in 2021, filling in for Joe Haden, and would remain with the team through the 2023 season.
He was released after attempting to make the Washington Commanders team last season, Pierre returned. He would sign with the Steelers again in March, be released in August, and re-sign to the practice squad before joining the active roster again in time for Week 1.
Like Cook, Pierre’s snaps are limited but show an overwhelming amount of promise. He ranks 96th among 114 cornerbacks in snaps played, but is currently the number two ranked player at PFF and tied for second (with Philly’s Quinyon Mitchell) on PFSN’s CB impact metric.
Connor Heyward
A jack of all trades, master of none, Heyward was also a roster bubble player this summer after the Steelers continued adding tight ends to their room. Heyward, mostly a special teams ace throughout his first three seasons in the league, has carved out a niche with Pittsburgh’s answer to the Eagles “tush push”, which has been adqueately renamed from the nicknamed “Pittsburgh Plunge” to the team’s official terminology, “Spartan”. (Which is named after Heyward’s alma mater mascot at Michigan State.)
Heyward’s statistics won’t pop off any page, but they are impactful. Of his 15 rushing attempts, 2 have gone for touchdowns with 11 of them accounting for first down conversions. He’s also caught three passes: one attributed to a first down and another to a touchdown.
The unlikely contribution means that Heyward either moves the chains or scores nearly each time he touches the football.
Brandin Echols
Another castaway with spot duty starting experience during his previous four seasons with the New York Jets, Echols was penciled in as the team’s starting nickel corner until the blockbuster Jalen Ramsey trade bumped Echols from healthy playing time to observing from the sidelines.
Echols’ rise would coincide with Pierre’s, as the Steelers sought stability in their secondary after benching Darius Slay and sliding Ramsey to safety to cover for an injured DeShon Elliott.
The move would pay dividends for the pair — with Echols piling up 29 combined tackles since Week 9, including two for loss. He also had an interception against Buffalo, a forced fumble against the Bengals plus a key sack of Ravens QB Lamar Jackson in the team’s first meeting.
Echols is currently ranked 24th out of 114 cornerbacks by PFF, ranking 23rd in receptions allowed and 22nd in total stops.
Ben Skowronek
Last but not least, Skowronek, the 249th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams was nearly out of football after being cut in 2024 by the Houston Texans.
Skowronek, listed as a wide receiver, made headlines after catching Aaron Rodgers’ first touchdown pass as a Pittsburgh Steeler. He’s since earned his keep through special teams play, being named to his first career Pro Bowl for his contributions.
He’s logged a whopping 21 tackles, including 11 solo, while playing 69% of the Steelers special teams snaps.
Skowronek was also instrumental in creating chaos in the middle of the line of scrimmage during Tyler Loop’s missed field goal attempt at the end of regulation during the 26-24 victory over the Baltimore Ravens which secured the Steelers AFC North crown and postseason berth.